I am a casual college basketball fan. I didn’t watch a ton of the regular season, but I stayed up to date. Yet when March Madness comes along, I lock in. I watch as many games as possible during the first four days. I have thoughts that could sound obvious to some, but since my college basketball knowledge this year was minimal, it’s eye-opening.
Alabama versus Grand Canyon
Iso, brick, running up and down the floor, and then guys on the floor. There were 17 blocks in the game, and yet you can’t point to a single stat that defies this chaotic game. Mark Sears, Alabama’s guard, went off and looked a lot like Jalen Brunson. So many guys hit the floor that it seemed an earthquake could happen. This is what March Madness is about.
Here Comes UNC
One of the few games I watched during the season was UNC vs Duke. North Carolina looked like North Carolina. They ran up and down and shot a lot of threes. Despite a slow start against Michigan State in the second round, UNC was able to turn it on. Their ability to score in bunches will be key in the next round against Alabama
UCONN: The Favorites
After the first half of their second-round game against Northwestern, they were up 40-18. The Huskies were locked in. They won the title last year and are the number-one overall seed in the tournament. Their sweet sixteen, title rematch against San Diego State could be the most difficult game in their region. Giant Man/Center Donovan Clingan will be key to their title defense.
NC State and DJ Burns Jr are my Spirit Animals
My fifth favorite sports documentary, “Survive and Advance,” details the incredible run of the 1983 NC State Wolfpack. Now, 41 years later, NC State won their conference tournament with five wins in five days. They will play Marquette in the Sweet Sixteen. Their big man DJ Burns Jr is listed at 6-9 260 and is so fun to watch with his throwback style.
I Won’t forget Jack Gohlke Anytime Soon
16 three-pointers, zero two-point attempts, and a legend was born. Gohlke lit up Kentucky for 10 threes. America fell in love and if not for NC State, Oakland would still be dancing. This is the effect of the Steph Curry revolution. Gohlke’s ability to light up future pros on Kentucky, and end their season makes one wonder how many Jack Gohlke’s are out there.
Experience is Great and Weird
“You can’t win with young players in March Madness anymore.” This talking point has been echoed religiously after Kentucky lost. Lots of players, due to Covid, are in their fifth or even sixth year. Some players are 24, or even 25. This is well within the rules, but it’s weird and seems a bit unfair. There is a physical advantage age brings, also the guys who are hoopin’ into their mid-twenties should be dominating.
A Lack of Upsets, and I’m Okay With It
There is only one double-digit seed(NC State) in the Sweet Sixteen. All the one and two seeds made it. Three number-three seeds made it to the second weekend too. Chaos is fun and makes for some great memes. I enjoy watching quality teams play quality teams. The matchups for this Sweet Sixteen are awesome! A national title rematch, Houston vs Duke, and UNC vs Alabama standout. This wouldn’t be possible with upsets.
The Refs
Has the officiating been good so far in March Madness? Eh, not really. Has the officiating been consistent? No, not at all. One of my gripes with the officiating isn’t the actual officials but the rules. Every semi-close out-of-bounds call within the last two minutes of the game is being checked. The officials don’t trust themselves to make the right call, that’s a problem. Not just basketball, but all sports should do a better job of empowering officials to be confident to make the right call.
Houston Fouls
Houston outlasted Texas A&M in what only can be described as a tightly officiated game. 75 free throws were shot between the two teams in a game that went to overtime. That’s 75 free throws in 45 minutes. It wasn’t the most free-flowing game and Houston’s aggressive defense was tested by the officials. Houston will go as far as the officiating allows them.
Buzzer Beater
I intentionally failed to mention that the Houston versus A&M game had a buzzer-beater. With 1.2 seconds left in regulation, A&M guard Andersson Garcia received an inbound pass at the top of the key and drilled a three to tie the game at 86. Before the play, I told my roommate, “March is going to give us something.” It did.
I Hate this Duke Team
You have to be good to be hated, so I’ll give the Blue Devils that. However, this is an easy Duke team to hate. Their star player already tripped somebody this season. There were no consequences. They beat the people’s champion in the second round, James Madison. Lastly, their coach is trying to ban court storming.
Will the Real Shaka Smart Please Stand Up
My childhood was filled with pleasant memories, one of those being VCU’s final four run in 2011. Their havoc press defense was the staple of that team, led by their coach Shaka Smart. Since then, Smart went to Texas in 2015 and failed to make it to the Sweet Sixteen in six seasons. He joined Marquette after being fired from Texas in 2021 and won the National Coach of the Year award last season. They lost in the second round as a two-seed. Now, he is in the Sweet Sixteen against NC State.
Style Changes Per Game
At certain points this NBA season, you could flip between games and not tell differences between teams other than jerseys and names. The era of whoever makes more threes wins the game is upon the NBA. Yes, that happens in college, yet many teams have a low-post player or inside presence. The games feel different and so do the teams. I think college basketball should try to sell that to fans.
Lack of Superstars
There is a lack of juice. A lack of a poster boy. Men’s college basketball has trouble selling stars and watching the first four days it’s clear why. The transfer portal kills continuity. I’m for making your money. However, it becomes hard to track what guys are on what teams, especially if you’re not tapped into the transfer portal. Plus many great college players leave after a season, and the rise in overseas talent has hurt college basketball too.
Is There Hope
Yes, there is hope for the superstar to come back to college basketball. Next year will be the first year with no G-League Ignite team taking talented high school players away from college. Plus, guys who are projected second picks could stay longer to develop and get paid. This isn’t certain but I believe a multi-year college basketball superstar is on the horizon.
Expansion
Talk before the tournament indicated that March Madness could expand in the coming years. This would be a bad idea because it would mean fewer non-power conference teams. I think money talks and with the new conferences coming next year they will have too much influence over decision-makers.
Featured Image: Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Thank you for reading “16 March Madness Thoughts“. Please visit Belly Up Sports every week.
